UN Secretary-General backs ICAN initiative to outlaw nuclear ...

MEDIA RELEASE9 November 2012For Immediate Release UNSecretary-GeneralbacksICANinitiativetooutlawnuclear weaponsHIROSHIMA – United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has written to a groupof high school students in Hiroshima, Japan, expressing his support for their projectto send 1000 hand-folded paper cranes – a Japanese symbol for nucleardisarmament – to every president and prime minister worldwide. More than 190,000cranes have been distributed as part of the studentsʼ appeal, which is sponsored bythe International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN).“This project deserves recognition and support from advocates of nucleardisarmament throughout the world,” Mr Ban wrote in his letter toICAN. “It features anoble goal: to promote the negotiation of a nuclear weapons convention.” He salutedICAN – in particular, ICANʼs youth campaigners in Hiroshima – for “working with suchcommitment and creativity in pursuit of our shared goal of a nuclear-weapon-freeworld”. In return for their gift of 1000 cranes, the students are seeking messages ofsupport from all leaders for a treaty tooutlaw and eliminate nuclear weapons.“Ancient Japanese tradition holds that anyone who folds 1000 paper cranes will begranted a wish. My wish is that the dream of a nuclear-weapon-free world willbecome a reality in time to benefit those who folded these cranes,” wrote theSecretary-General, who has called for a global ban on nuclear weapons as part of his2008 disarmament action plan. The paper cranes are “much more than a symbol”, hewrote in his letter; “they are a call to action”.The Hiroshima students have enlisted the help of ICAN campaigners in over 80countries to deliver the cranes in their capital cities. Activists from Finland,Switzerland and Seychelles have held meetings with their presidents to hand overthe cranes and explain the urgent need for united global action to ban nuclearweapons. Messages of support for the initiative have started to flow in from otherworld leaders, including the presidents of Slovenia, Kazakhstan, Greece andVanuatu.The atomic bombingsThe United States military dropped atomic bombs on the cities of Hiroshima andNagasaki in August 1945. More than 210,000 people died by the end of 1945 fromthe heat, blast and radiation effects of the two explosions. Many thousands morehave died in the decades since from radiation-related illnesses. Today there areapproximately 19,000 nuclear weapons in the arsenals of nine countries, despitetheir well-known catastrophic humanitarian and environmental effects.The studentsʼ appeal to world leaders was sent on 6 August 2012 – the 67thanniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. It states: “We are deeply concernedthat our future is still being threatened by close to 20,000 nuclear weapons … We

fear that unless governments and individuals do more to rid the world of thesehorrible weapons, another city might one day suffer the same fate as our own. Asyouth peace ambassadors, we feel we must do everything in our power to keep thatfrom happening – which is why we are seeking your support.”Sorata Watanabe, 17, who is one of the leaders of the project, thanked Mr Ban forhis message of support: “We are enormously grateful that the UNSecretary-Generalhas endorsed our paper crane project. This means a lot to us. His letter will help ussecure messages of support from other world leaders. We want to remind peopleeverywhere of the catastrophic effects of nuclear weapons. Their very existenceconstitutes a humanitarian problem that requires an urgent solution – a ban.”Towards Oslo 2013ICAN is a global movement calling for a treaty tooutlaw and eliminate nuclearweapons. It has partner organizations in over 60 countries, and was founded in 2007by the Nobel Peace Prize-winning International Physicians for the Prevention ofNuclear War. The Norwegian government has invited ICANto be the civil societypartner at a conference in Oslo in March 2013 examining the immediate and longtermeffects of nuclear weapons, and the inability to provide adequate medical relief.ICAN Australia Director Tim Wright, who has helped the Hiroshima students tocoordinate the paper crane project, said: “We hope that the studentsʼ initiative willbuild public and political support around the world for a ban on nuclear weapons. Weare urging all governments to attend the meeting in Oslo in 2013 on the humanitarianconsequences of nuclear weapons, and make this the catalyst for negotiations on atreaty tooutlaw and eliminate nuclear weapons completely.”Media contacts:Tim Wright (Melbourne)Email: tim@icanw.orgPhone: +61 (0)400 967 233Daniela Varano (Geneva)Email: daniela@icanw.orgPhone: +41 787 262 645

MEDIA RELEASE9 November 2012For Immediate Release UNSecretary-GeneralbacksICANinitiativetooutlawnuclear weaponsHIROSHIMA – United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has written to a groupof high school students in Hiroshima, Japan, expressing his support for their projectto send 1000 hand-folded paper cranes – a Japanese symbol for nucleardisarmament – to every president and prime minister worldwide. More than 190,000cranes have been distributed as part of the studentsʼ appeal, which is sponsored bythe International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN).“This project deserves recognition and support from advocates of nucleardisarmament throughout the world,” Mr Ban wrote in his letter toICAN. “It features anoble goal: to promote the negotiation of a nuclear weapons convention.” He salutedICAN – in particular, ICANʼs youth campaigners in Hiroshima – for “working with suchcommitment and creativity in pursuit of our shared goal of a nuclear-weapon-freeworld”. In return for their gift of 1000 cranes, the students are seeking messages ofsupport from all leaders for a treaty tooutlaw and eliminate nuclear weapons.“Ancient Japanese tradition holds that anyone who folds 1000 paper cranes will begranted a wish. My wish is that the dream of a nuclear-weapon-free world willbecome a reality in time to benefit those who folded these cranes,” wrote theSecretary-General, who has called for a global ban on nuclear weapons as part of his2008 disarmament action plan. The paper cranes are “much more than a symbol”, hewrote in his letter; “they are a call to action”.The Hiroshima students have enlisted the help of ICAN campaigners in over 80countries to deliver the cranes in their capital cities. Activists from Finland,Switzerland and Seychelles have held meetings with their presidents to hand overthe cranes and explain the urgent need for united global action to ban nuclearweapons. Messages of support for the initiative have started to flow in from otherworld leaders, including the presidents of Slovenia, Kazakhstan, Greece andVanuatu.The atomic bombingsThe United States military dropped atomic bombs on the cities of Hiroshima andNagasaki in August 1945. More than 210,000 people died by the end of 1945 fromthe heat, blast and radiation effects of the two explosions. Many thousands morehave died in the decades since from radiation-related illnesses. Today there areapproximately 19,000 nuclear weapons in the arsenals of nine countries, despitetheir well-known catastrophic humanitarian and environmental effects.The studentsʼ appeal to world leaders was sent on 6 August 2012 – the 67thanniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. It states: “We are deeply concernedthat our future is still being threatened by close to 20,000 nuclear weapons … We